Letters to the Editor 12-5-13

Holidays in Healdsburg
Editor: The 10th Annual Healdsburg Holiday Party on November 29, was a wonderful success. It was exciting to see so many happy faces strolling on the packed downtown streets. As you go about your holiday shopping please remember the local merchants who brought this happy occasion to you.  From carolers to carriage rides, from face painters to balloon clowns, the downtown businesses pay for these entertainments through the annual assessments they pay to the Downtown Business District. The success of our local businesses depends not only on the dollars that the tourists spend, but also on the dollars that are spent from our local community. So as you tick off your shopping list don’t forget the business community that supports your fund raisers, helps pay for your sports teams, donates prizes for your silent auctions, and are always there for you with a welcoming smile.
On another note … a huge thank you to Tom and Art from the City of Healdsburg who are responsible for all of the beautiful holiday decorations. As Tom says “there are never too many Christmas lights!”
Merry Christmas Healdsburg!
Carla Howell
Healdsburg Chamber and Visitors Center
Time for council to act
Editor: There has been a number of excellent letters written about the impact of general downtown congestion due to proposed and/or potential large hotel projects in Healdsburg. These letters highlight the broader issue of what looks like a runaway tourism train in our town. We have seen this sleepy little town become a major tourist hub over the last ten years. It has impacted the quality of life for those of us that live here and have to deal with the traffic snarls and people congestion. If the Healdsburg city government doesn’t take a sensible approach to this issue, it won’t even be a desirable place for tourists to visit let alone for us locals to tolerate. Healdsburg is already being used as an example of the town you don’t want to be when you grow up.
The issue of the multiple hotel projects that could populate our downtown is the density of the core downtown area and the resulting car/people density. Both of the recent hotel proposals were going to be jammed on small parking lots. It won’t be a charming little town anymore with that kind of density.
So the question is how do we moderate core downtown growth while minimizing the adverse effects of more people/cars? Here are some suggestions.
• Limit to 30 the number of rooms for hotel projects within a four block distance from the town square and also limit the number of floors to three.
• Make all hotel projects contain all of their own parking needs for all guests and all employees. This will have a natural effect of limiting hotel size while putting less strain on public parking.
• Make each commercial project pay into a fund for increased public parking.
• Lastly, as unpleasant as it might seem to a lot of locals, we need to build a parking garage to deal with our current and future shortage of parking – post haste! If this isn’t done the tourists will increasingly be parking in our residential areas.
The impact of these measures would tend to move more projects away from the core downtown area because of a shortage of lots big enough to contain the buildings and parking. If hotel projects are built on the outskirts of town people will obviously still want to visit downtown, so a parking garage and improved public transportation is still needed to deal with this issue.
I would like to see the City Council lead the writing of a ballot initiative to formalize these kinds of hotel project requirements. A lot was said about the recently withdrawn 75 room hotel project as an example of our current process working and that there is no need for an initiative. There was no public vetting of that project before it was withdrawn, only dialog with the City Council and Planning Commission. The current process results in a project being about 95 percent decided by those two bodies before there are any public hearings.  I think an overwhelming majority of Healdsburg’s citizens are worried about this runaway tourism train and want a say in how to moderate it. A balanced initiative on the ballot would give us a voice and the City Council some feedback. If the City Council doesn’t act, I’m afraid that you will see a much more restrictive grassroots ballot initiative developed that might not be the best solution for Healdsburg. If that is our only choice, I and a lot of other people would probably reluctantly vote for it as the only good alternative.
John Vink
Healdsburg
Still a problem
Editor: Home foreclosures in the Sonoma County area are still at a low. With the ObamaCare mess people seem to forget about the issues that have been prolonging for years. There have been 82 homes that have been lost in foreclosures during the third quarter of the year. This is a new low when looking back at the fourth quarter in 2006 when there were 49 homes lost due to foreclosures.
Between January and September of this year, there is a recording of 364 homes lost due to foreclosures. Accumulation in short sales, there is an additional four thousand homes lost. Combining foreclosures and short sales, they are responsible for 13 percent of the county’s transactions all in just the month of September.
There is a large struggle in home foreclosures with minorities. In areas where the people living are generally black, Latino, or Asian, the average loss is $2,200. That is much more than the areas where most people living are white. There is a study where former Wells Fargo and Bank of America employees admitted that the banks specifically targeted minorities to take out loans that they couldn’t afford, or ones lower than the loans that they were qualified for. More Latino home buyers are unable to make their mortgage payments than other homeowners.
Not only are people in general having a hard time making their mortgage payments, but also the minorities are especially struggling. I can believe that some people in banks are making it harder on minorities, but I also believe that many people are buying homes in which they cannot afford.
Surely the economy is the largest problem of all when it comes to why there are still so many home foreclosures, but it doesn’t mean that since the problem has been going on for so long, that people who aren’t involved should just forget about it.
Sarah Jones
Healdsburg
Party of the Year
Editor: Just a reminder that the ‘Party of the Year’ will be here shortly, and for those who are planning to attend, tickets are still available, but selling quickly. The 35th Annual Rotary Crab Feast & Auction will take place on Saturday, Dec. 14 at the Villa Chanticleer. The bar and silent auction opens at 5 p.m., and the ‘all-you-can-eat’ crab feast dinner will start about 7 p.m.
The event features both a live and silent auction, and all proceeds go right back to the community. Healdsburg Rotary supports and funds numerous Healdsburg agencies, and non-profits, with a special emphasis on funding Healdsburg public schools and scholarships. We have some fabulous auction items donated by local individuals and businesses. Giants games, European trips, and gourmet dinners, etc. We invite you to join us for this fun event. Enjoy a fabulous crab meal, and support your Healdsburg-area non-profits at the same time. Individual tickets and tables are still available, but you need to reserve now. Tickets at: www.healdsburgrotary.org or contact a Rotarian. See you on the 14th.
Kent Mitchell
Healdsburg